jeudi 4 octobre 2012

App barks when users try to text behind the wheel

The RodeDog app detects when motorists are attempting to drive
and text at the same time, alerting friends and family members who can
discourage them from the practice.
Japanese developers have already harnessed the power of smartphones to alert drivers of potential crashes with the Safety Sight app, and now a new offering is also doing its bit for car safety. The RodeDog
app detects when motorists are attempting to drive and text at the same
time, alerting friends and family members who can discourage them from
the practice.

The app works by tracking the GPS of the user to detect whether they
are behind the wheel. Each user can add friends and family with the app
to their ‘pack’, creating a network of acquaintances who will be
notified if that user attempts to drive and use their phone at the same
time. If they do, those in the pack can then send alerts to the driver –
in the form of audible dog barks – to remind them that they should be
concentrating on the road. The barking noises continue until the app
detects that the phone has been put down. The team behind the idea, led
by 11-year-old Victoria Walker and designer David Grau, came up with the
concept as part of the AT&T Mobile App Hackathon for the company’s It Can Wait campaign. Taking first prize at the event, RodeDog now has USD 20,000 behind it to bring it to market.

RodeDog is set to be released as a free download for iOS, Android and
Windows Phone devices before the end of the year and AT&T are
hoping to produce more apps based on the ideas of those attending the
Hackathon. How else could car owners be encouraged to practice safe
driving?